Aafke Ytsma (1988) is a Dutch painter situated in Leeuwarden (NL). She graduated in Fine Art at the academy of art in Zwolle (2011) and works at home and abroad. Regularly combining travelling with art, as with the project Walk of Art (2014). When she walked from the north of the Netherlands to Nice on her own in five month time. Capturing the nature she encountered on her way in 78 watercolours.

Ytsma creates depictions that hold the middle between painted snapshots and film stills of daily life. On the one hand her works depicts existing location and events, such as her own vegetable plot, a forest she walked through, or a woman travelling in a train. On the other hand they are constructed realities where reminiscences come to life. In these paintings, memories merge with influences from films, photography, literature, comic books, the history of painting, etc. People drive around in brand-less cars, in a landscape that calls to mind the north of the Netherlands, someone drinks a beer in front of a caravan. In reconstructing these settings Ytsma searches for images that are archetypical and represent the contemporary time.

Education
2007-2011 ArtEZ hogeschool voor de kunsten, Zwolle, the Netherlands

Upcoming exhibitions
27 - 30 september
Museum Belvédère, Heerenveen, "Art Noord", stand melklokaal
9 september - 8 oktober
Melklokaal, Heerenveen "Friese milkshake"
17 nobember - 9 december
Kunstruimte H47, Leeuwarden, "Fanzine Genius van Leeuwarden"

Solo exhibitions
2017  Museum Belvédère, Heerenveen, Art Noord, stand melklokaal
2014  Stânfries X, Leeuwarden, “Walk of Art”

Group exhibitions
2017  Municipal gallery Pafos (CY), “In Search of Common Myth”
2017  Melklokaal, Heerenveen “A portrait show” 
2017  Museum Arnhem, Arnhem “In de geest van Pierre Janssen…" 
2016  Kunstruimte Wagemans, Beetsterzwaag “The sitters”
2015  De Fabriek, Ried "Volledig 2.0"
2011  Inspectie voor de Gezondheidszorg, Zwolle
2011  Extrapool, Nijmegen, “Destillaat”

Collections
Koopman collectie, Heerenveen

Publications
2014  Walk of Art, Catalogue, ISBN 978 9491276248


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